One of the most talked-about uses for Twitter has been as a free marketing and outreach mouthpiece for nonprofits, particularly those with otherwise limited resources. But a new survey about the most "engaged" charity organizations and nonprofit foundations on Twitter--meaning how big a following a charity has as well as how much it interacts directly with followers and is talked about by other Twitter users--indicates that it's still big, powerful nonprofits that have the most muscle in social media.

Empire Avenue's ranking encompasses 30 organizations in total, and most of them follow the lead of the top 10: big nonprofits that were well-known long before they made Twitter part of the strategy. A notable exception is in 27th place: Malaria No More, which was founded in 2006 and is chaired by Priceline co-founder Scott Case. Like Charity Water, Malaria No More has become closely associated with the dot-com elite, often working with influential Twitter users to get its #endmalaria hashtag distributed across the service's web of chatter.

About the author

Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos.
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